The
American Civil War was one of the bloodiest series of battles ever
fought within a single country. It was an epic struggle waged for
five years (1861-1865) between the northern free States, as the
United States of America, and the seceding Southern slave States,
which formed a splinter country known as the Confederate States of
America. It has several other names, including "The War Between
the States," "The War of Northern Aggression" and "The
War for Southern Independence," but it is also sometimes called
the "War of Brothers" because the emotions it engendered
polarized and divided family members against each other. Because the
issues at stake and the war itself were so strongly emotional, it was
not uncommon for two brothers to fight on opposing sides, or for a
father and son to be engaged in battle against each other. And
because of the polarizing issues and the huge number of casualties
suffered, "memories" of the Civil War are burned into the
hearts and minds of many Americans alive even today, almost 150 years
after the war's end. This cultural "memory" is probably
responsible for the great popularity of Civil War collectibles.
Civil
War collectibles exist for both sides of the struggle, North and
South. In fact, because of their great historical interest, there is
no sign that the popularity of Civil War collectibles has reached its
apex or will wane at any time in the foreseeable future.
Different
Types of Civil War Collectibles, for Different Interests.
A
multitude of different types of Civil War collectibles exist, both
large and small, from each side's armies. They range from everyday,
mundane items used by infantry soldiers to more esoteric or
specialized Civil War collectibles used only by certain types
of officers or cavalry troops. Civil War collectibles include belt
buckles, uniform buttons, canteens and flasks, caps and hats,
insignia, uniform jackets, pants and shirts, pins, revolvers, rifles,
swords and sabers, bullets and shot, cannonballs, and cannon and
other artillery pieces. Photographs of soldiers, battlefield maps
and other paper ephemera, together with postage stamps and currency
issued by the Confederacy, are also interesting Civil War
collectibles.
People
acquire Civil War collectibles for different reasons. Some are
history buffs, fascinated by the swirl of events, or collectors of
militaria. Others have a much more personal connection - an ancestor
who fought in the war or who was in some other way affected by it.
Still others have a strong sense of pride in the accomplishments
achieved by Confederate soldiers against almost overwhelming odds,
and in the sacrifices made by those soldiers in order to
retain what they viewed as an essential way of life. But whatever
reasons underly a person's interest in Civil War collectibles, they
are fascinating symbols of one of the most significant historical
events of the western hemisphere.
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